Carbureter.



w. s. SHERMAN.

CARBUREIEH. v

APPLICATON FILED APR.18, \913.

y'Paternal Apr. V27, 1915.

MM l

f f. MC/(JM Trap/yn@ UNITED srn'frns A WILLIS S. SHERMAN, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CARBURETER.

. fuels by having a rotating element impelled by the suction from a gas engine and adapted by its rotary motion to act upon the flow of liquid fuel in such a manner as to spread the liquid fuel into a thin film and discharge it by centrifugal action at its edges into the current of air on its way to the gas engine and thus effect a uniform and complete mixture of liquid fuel and air.

Another object of the invention is to perfect details of construction of a carbureter of this character.

With t-he above and other objects in view the invention consists in the carbureter as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in diierent views: Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a carbureter constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof on the plane of line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail edge view of therotary member; Fig. 4 is a bot-tom view of the convex plate; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the float; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the plane of line 7 7 of Fig. l.

In these drawings the carbureter is shown to be contained within a casing comprising a bell shaped'upper part 10 adapted for connection with the intake of a gas engine or'the like and a ring shaped lower part 11 coaxial with the upper part and connected with it by a number of spacing arms 12 which form rigid connections between the parts of the casing but hold them spaced apart.

The upper portion 10 of the casing has, an ordinary throttle valve 13 in the passage- Way leading from'it to the intake of the en- Specification of Letters Patent.

Both the upper and the lower portions of` Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Application led April 18, 1913. Serial No. 761,897.

the casing are internally threaded and an adjusting ring 14 with an inturned flange 15 at its upper edge is threaded in the upper portion 10 of the casing While a cupshaped float chamber 16 with a contracted waste portionis threaded into"y the ring portion 11 of the casing. The float chamber contains a central opening in its bottom in which a plug 17 -lits and this plug has a suitablev pipe connection 18with the source of supply of gasolene under pressure. A conical valve 19 is adapted to be seated against the lower end of the opening through ythe plug 17 and its square valve stem 20 ts within said opening to guide the valve in its movements without interfering with the passa ge of gasolene through the opening and on the upper end of the valve stem -is threaded a square nut 21 fitting within a square opening in metal cross arms 22 which are attached to an annular float member 23. The float chamber has a tubular projection 24 standing upright therein around its bottom opening and this tubular projection is slotted radially to receive the cross arms 22 as seen in Figs; 1 and 5. 21 is provided with flanges engaging above and below the cross arms 22 so that the movements of the 'float are imparted to the The square nut valve stem and the inflow of gasolene is controlled by the closing of the valve when the predetermined level of gasolene in the float chamber is reached. The valve 19 is provided with a square head 25 which tits in a correspondin ly shaped portion of the opening of plug l to normally prevent the turning of the valve stem, but below the square portion of the opening of plug 17 there is a rounded portion Which permits the square head 25 to turn and when it is desired to vary the level of ga'solene in the float chamber permitted by the float it is only necessary to engage a screw driver in aA slot at the upper end of the valve stem 20 and by depressing the float until the s uare head 25 is in the rounded portion o the opening vof plug 17 the turning of the valve stem within the square nut will vary the distance between the oat and the valve to correspondingly vary the gasolene level, in the float chamber.`

The upper portiorr l0 of the casing has a number of radial arms 26-supporting centrally within it a ianged bearing seat 27 in which is fitted an outer bearing ring 28 of a ball bearing 29, the inner bearing ring thereof having a bolt 31 passed therethrough and clamping it to a rotary meinber 32 which is a disk, saucer like or concave in shape, and has a convex member 33 be-v tween it and the inner bearing. The convex surface of the convex member 33 and the concave surface of the rotary member 32 are slightly spaced apart by means of short .radial ribs 34 on the bottom of the convex member 33 and gasolene is supplied to the space between the concave and the convex members from radial openings in the bolt 31 which communicate with va central opening in the bolt with its lower end submerged beneath the gasolene level in` the float chamber.

To iestrict the flow of gasolene to the rotary member there is a plug 35 threaded in the lower end of the central opening of the bolt 31 and having a very fine opening leading through it and preferably .terminating in an annular -groove around the upper end of the plug which communicates with the space above the plug through small openings, thus breaking up the force of the jet of gasolene diie to its passage through the small opening of the plug under the strong action of the suction from the engine and thus permitting the gasolene to fiow freely out through the openings of the bolt 3l to the space between the concave member 32 and the convex member 33. The bolt 31 by clamping the inner ring 30 of the ball bear ing and the convex member'33 to the rotary member 3Q- binds these parts together so that they move as one and are supported by the ball bearing so as to be free to turn therein.

. The rotary member 32 is provided with inclined radial ribs or wings 36 which extend across the space between the rotary member i and the adjusting ring 14 and the flow of air through this space caused by the suction from the engine acts upon these inclined wings 36 to propelthe rotary member and cause it to spin rapidly. i

The suction from the engine causes'the gasolene or other liquid fuel to rise through the opening inthe plug 35 and pass through the openings of the bolt 31 to the space between the concave rotary member 32 and the convex member 33 where, by reason of the rapid rotary motion of the rotary member, it is carried by centrifugal action up the inclined walls of the rotary member toward the edge thereof, becoming drawn out more and more as it covers the greater area of surface until reaching the edge of the rotary member as a thin film. At the edge of the rotary member the fuel is thrown oil" by centrifugal action across the current of in- -con'iiiig air between the rotary member and the adjusting ring 14 with which it readily mixes because of its finely divided state to form thei explosive mixture.

In order to vary the proportions ofair Liar/,eee

and gas in the mixture the adjusting ring 14 may be turned to raise or lower its inturned fiange 15 with relation to the edge of the rotary member so as to vary the sectional area of the air passageway around the rotary member.

A' convenient means for turning the adjusting ring 14 consists of a split ring 37 which is threaded on the lower end of the adjusting ring 14 and after being adjustably positioned it is clamped firmly thereto by meins of a set screw 38 passing through its en s.

The bearing seat 27 is provided with av cover 39 which limits the upward movement of the bearing ring 28, for during the operation of the engine the rotary member is lifted off of its seat at the edge of the float chamber and the upper end'of the tubular projection Q4 so as to be entirely free to spin Linder the influence of the suction without a bearing other than the ball bearing. When, however, there is an explosion in the carbureter, as is sometimes the case, the seating of the rotary member at the edges of the float chamber and on'the upper end of the tubular projection 24 effectively prevents its displacement without subjecting it to strain. Lubricant may be admitted te the ball bearing through an oil passageway 40 in one of the radial arms 26. In order that there may not be a discharge of liquid fuel through the space between the rotary mem-V.

ber and the float chamber due to its creeping up the underside of the rotary member, an annular rib 41 is formed on the bottom of the rotary member to throw off the liquid fuel which may be creeping up the bottom of the rotary member and an inturned flange 42 is formed at the edge of the float chamber to prevent the liquid fuel thus thrown off' reaching the upper edge ofthe float chamber.

l/Vhile this carbureter may be used with gasolene or other high test hydrocarbon, it is particularly suitable for use with kerosene and other low grade hydrocarbons, -for the principle involved of stretching fuel into a thin film and drawing it finer and finer until discharging it with force across aswit'tly moving current of airis found to produce an efficient vapor-ization with the latter without the necessity for the use of heat.

'.lhe invention is not confined to the particular details of construction shown and described as exemplifying the same but is capable of embodiment iii various forms which will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in th`e art.

The concave or dish shape given to the rotary member requires tbe fuel to ascend in its outward travel and more surely spread` as a thin spray across the surrounding current of air. .Incidentally this concave shape of the rotary member mayresult ineddying currents of air above it having the same direction of travel as the fuel and tending to lick up the fuel before it reaches the edge of the disk.

Any form of float valve may be employed, but that shownvis considered desirable and While the removable plug 35 may take 'the form of a needle valve in order to be adjustable, it is sufficient to illustrate it in its present form whereby adjustment may be accomplished by substitution.

WhatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in a carbureter of an air conduit adapted to have a current of air pass therethrough, of a suitably driven rotary member mounted Within the air conduit, said rotary member being disk shaped and concave or dished so that its edges incline toward the direction of travel of the current of air, and means for supplying liquid fuel at the center of the rotary member to be drawn into a progressively thinner film as it moves over the surface of the rotary member toward the edges thereof by centrifuga-l action until forcibly discharged from the edges of the rotary member across the current of air through the air conduit.

2. The combination in a carbureter, of a casing forming an air conduit adapted for connection with the intake of a gas engine to create a current of air therethrough, a rotary member suitably mounted Within the air conduit and receiving motion from the current of air, a flanged ring adjustably mounted in the casing for varying the area of the passageway for the air around the rotary member, and means for supplying liquid fuel to the center of the rotary member to be forced by centrifugal action over the surface thereof into a progressively thinner film until discharged from the edge of the rotary member into the current of air.

3. In a carbureter, the combination of a casing forming an air conduit adapted for connection with the intake of a gas engine to have a current of air pass therethrough, an adjustable Hanged ring threaded Within the casing, a rotary member suitably mount ed Within the casing and rotated by the cur rent of air therethrough, a split ring 'threaded on the fianged ring by Which it may be adjusted to vary the area of the air passage- Way between it and the rotary meniber, and means for supplying liquid fuel to the center of the rotary member to be forced by centrifugal action over the surface thereof into a. progressively thinner film until discharged from the edge of the rotary member into the charged from the edge thereof into .the current of air.

5. The combination in a carbureter, of a casing forming an air conduit adapted to be attached to the intake of a gas engine to have a current of air pass therethrough, a bearing seat supported by the casing Within the air conduit, a ball bear-ing therein, a suitably driven rotary member journaled Within the ball bearing and having a slight endwise movement therein, a float chamber mounted on the casing beneath the rotary member and having the rotary member seated thereon in its lower position, a float controlled valve for controlling the admission of liquid fuel to the float chamber, and means on the rotary member for delivering liquid fuel from the float chamber to the center of the rotary member to be forced by centrifugal action over the surface thereof into progressively thinner film until discharged from the edge thereof into the current of air.

In testimony whereof, l afiix my signature, in presence of tvvo Witnesses.

WILLISl S. SHERMAN. Witnesses:

KATHERINE HoLfr,

LARA V MUEHLBACH. 

